Debutant in the elite I-League 2024-25, SC Bengaluru received a blow in their effort to avoid relegation from the League as the All India Football Federation (AIFF)’s appeals committee dismissed Bengaluru’s appeal for three points based on their complaint against Namdhari FC. SC Bengaluru finished 11th on the League table and are now staring at relegation alongside Delhi FC.
The matter pertains to the case involving Namdhari FC player Cledson Da Silva, also known as De, who was used as an ineligible player during Namdhari’s 2-1 win over SC Bengaluru on March 30th of this year.
SC Bengaluru had lodged an official complaint to the AIFF, where they alleged that Namdhari had played De in the game, even though the Brazilian ought to have been serving out a suspension.
They pointed at the Namdhari player picking up seven yellow cards of the 2024-25 campaign before Namdhari’s 3-1 win over Gokulam Kerala on 17th March, with De also getting sent off against the Malabarians.
Hence, SC Bengaluru claimed that De should’ve been serving a two-match suspension for the accumulated red card and yellow cards and should have been suspended for the game against them.
However, the AIFF appeal committee has now come up with its verdict on the matter and dismissed SC Bengaluru’s complaint, giving Namdhari FC all three points for their win.
In their verdict, the AIFF claims that Namdhari acted in ‘good faith’ and had also emailed the AIFF competitions department to verify the opportunity to play De against SC Bengaluru before the game.
In their statement on the matter, the AIFF appeals committee stated, “The abovementioned facts establish that the club acted in good faith and served the suspensions by the regulations.
However, the defendant club is warned that henceforth, the club is advised to exercise precautions by itself while fielding a player, and this decision shall not be taken as a precedent in any of the future cases.”
It also claimed that the reason De was not in the squad for Namdhari’s final game of the I-League campaign against Aizawl FC and was the committee’s decision to uphold the red card that the Brazilian picked up against Gokulam Kerala.
However, the AIFF Appeal Committee has still granted ‘interim relief’ from the relegation to both SC Bengaluru and Delhi FC after the Delhi-based club argued that key provisions under the AIFF Disciplinary Code and constitutional protections were ignored.
The Appeals Committee acknowledged the club’s right to contest the decision and raised concerns over the lack of precedent and due process, especially given AIFF’s history of waiving relegation under special circumstances. The matter is set for further hearing, giving both clubs a fighting chance to retain their place in the I-League.
